Furtive Cloy
by Ebony Pistol
Summary: It was too perfect, as if it were fate. He gave the teen a rather sly smile, "remember Aerrow, you're loyal to Cyclonia and my second in command..." DAxA, FxP, Others. Slash, angst, adult situations.
1. Sub Rosa

Disclaimer: I do not own or make profit off the writing of this story.

Warinings: Violence, abuse, some blood, sexual relationships, angst(major), OOC, Dark Ace. (Three years future)

**Furtive Cloy**

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I hate to show I'd bleed for this

I cut myself to shame

To get to know who this masochist

Who's stolen my first name

~Blue October 'Drilled a wire through my cheek'

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He remembered the feeling of descent. Reaching out for something, anything.

There were faces that remained blank and featureless. One of them held the soft curves of a female and the others male. Before he could reach out for them they faded and he was left alone once again.

There were so many holes and blank passageways he didn't even know where to start. When he finally came across a door, which might uncover some of his secrets, it was locked.

Far away he thought he could hear faint voices. They were unrecognizable but stirred something deep inside of himself.

Then all was dark.

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"You must be feeling pretty full of yourself right about now Dark Ace," the sneer on Ravess's face was rather unbecoming on such a beautiful woman, the commander of the Talons thought.

"Come now Ravess, it was mere coincidence really." The purple haired woman scoffed at the wayward comment. The commander had been all but strutting around the complex going on and on about how he single handedly (and finally) managed to catch the leader of those infuriating Storm Hawks.

"I don't see why you wont just kill the little bas-," black spots danced in front of Ravess's eyes. She should've caught herself before she made that comment. Reaching up and hooking her hands over Dark Ace's wrists, Ravess forcefully tried to pry his hands from her throat. She did not dare look into his mad crimson orbs, knowing the anger she would find there. Instead she concentrated on trying to get essential oxygen back into her lungs.

"It's a good thing no one is here to see your shame Ravess," Dark Ace spit out her name like venom on his tongue. "Now, I don't want 'anyone' to touch or even 'look' at the Storm Hawk wrong, do you understand?" When he got no answer he tightened his grip, "well?"

The violinist gave a barley noticeable nod that seemed to appease the Dark Ace. None to gently he dropped her and watched as she slumped against the concrete wall, gasping for breath. 'Atmos! How I hate this man!'

"Anything else commander?" The sneer was back on her face.

"Actually yes there is, the Storm Hawks are now more vulnerable then ever without their precious leader. Master Cyclonis, as well as myself, think it's the perfect time for an attack. She's made it very clear that they are to be capture alive, especially the female." Why in the name of Atmos did Master Cyclonis want them alive? Wouldn't it be easier to just destroy them? What was their Master Cyclonis thinking?

"Very well then." The gleam in his eyes grew dark.

"Oh, and Ravess? Take that useless brother of yours with you, I don't want him anywhere near my prize." The crimson-eyed man turned and walked away, a seething Ravess burning holes into the back of his head.

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They had gotten a tip from a rather shady character, from a rather shady little bar, in a rather shady little town, on a very shady terra that there was a helix crystal thirty-eight degrees north and fifty-two miles away from Terra Nimbus. Normally the Storm Hawks would be rather opposed to being so close to a Cyclonian base, especially Stork, but Aerrow had said he had a good feeling about it. Said that he was positive the creepy old man was telling the truth.

Anxiously they made their way to the exact location. Thankful that they didn't show up on Cyclonian scanners, or get a nasty visit from Snipe. The area they showed up in was, to say the least, empty. Lots of clouds and clear blue sky as far as the eye could see. It was with no doubt beautiful. The setting sun was truly a sight to behold, but there was nothing there and they risked being seen by the enemy for it.

Aerrow, going against everyone's wishes insisted that there was something there.

"Come on Aerrow! I don't see anything, they don't see anything, there isn't anything there!"

"Aerrow think logically for a second here, we've been cruising through miles of bare sky for hours! What could possibly be out there but more sky?"

"Dude they're right, something's funny. I didn't like that old man, it's just not right."

"Mad cloud disease, you're going to catch Mad. Cloud. Disease!"

"Grrrrr…."

However, the young leader of the Storm Hawks wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Don't worry guys, I just have a feeling. Give me one hour and if I come back empty handed we can get the heck outta here." Of course Piper volunteered to go with Aerrow, but he quickly shut her down telling her he needed some alone time anyway. No one noticed the worried look between Junko and Finn.

The small group had noticed their leader had been acting rather out of sorts. He rarely slept or ate. He carried an exhausted air that was both mental and physical.

Flashback

The crystal expert found him in the kitchen. It was quarter to three in the morning and there he was, nursing a steaming cup of coffee. 'Since when did Aerrow drink coffee?'

"How long has it been since you've slept Aerrow?"

The red head looked up at his closest friend, and for the first time Piper noticed the dark rings under his beautiful emerald eyes, they seemed duller then usual.

"It's only been a couple of days Piper, it's not a big deal." She scoffed, only a couple of days? More like four or five.

"What's wrong Aerrow? What's bothering you to the point that you just can't sleep?"

"It's more like won't actually…" with a tired sigh he laid his head down to rest his arms. He refused to close his eyes. Piper furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, and walked over to her friends' slumped form. Gently running her hand through his soft red hair. She wished it wasn't just a gesture of friendship.

"Why don't you want to sleep Aerrow?" She could feel him shaking under his touch. Was he crying? Perhaps it was just cold? But she couldn't deny the fact that the Condor was rather warm, hot almost. In all her years of friendship with the Storm Hawk leader, she had never seen him cry. Aerrow was too strong, too brave, too well put together. He was also very kind and had a heart of gold. Sometimes she couldn't accept that Aerrow was really human. Rather fragile and even more so, mortal.

Slender arms wrapped around his shoulders as she whispered a gentle 'shhh' into his ear.

"It's okay Aerrow, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." It was almost too soft, but she heard small whispered sentence that came out of his mouth that night.

"I'm tired of seeing him, night after night…"

Piper tried asking him about the 'him' he was talking about, but he was reluctant to answer. It was never brought up again.

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He never came back. It had been four hours, and he was still out there. The sun had fully set, drowning the sky into an inky darkness.

Stork, with much desperation tried to reach Aerrow through his com-link, which mysteriously wasn't working.

"What in the name of Atmos are we doing!" Piper's voice rang throughout the Condor. "We should be out there looking for him not sitting here doing nothing!"

"But we can't leave the Condor unguarded in Cyclonian territory, and what if he does come back and we're not here?" Junko interrupted.

"Aerrow's com hasn't been working for quite some time now."

"He said he wanted some alone time," Finn said as he menacingly ripped apart his Dark Ace drawings.

"Yeah but for four hours? That's not something Aerrow would do, if he was going to be late he'd let us know." Piper stared out the window hoping to see a glance of Aerrow's skimmer, only to be let down by miles of inky black. A loud siren pierced the Condors wary air. The tracking system had picked up on enemy ships.

"Oh boy! You guys better come look at this!" The piolets voice was filled with fear as the crew came to gather around the consol. There were several unidentified ships headed their way, and without a doubt they had to be Cyclonians.

"Get us outta here Stork!"

"We can't leave without Aerrow!"

"They've got TWO cruisers Piper, there's no way we could fight against them! We'll just have to trust that Aerrows' okay." There was no mistaking the sadness on the Merb's face and the worry on everyone else's, but Piper wouldn't take it, she wouldn't leave without Aerrow.

"No Stork we are not leaving without him!" Radarr gave a sharp nod in agreement.

"I'm sorry Piper, Radarr, Finn… Junko, please." The Wallop understood and held back a screaming and tearful Piper as the Condor started up its engine and took off as fast it could go. Leaving an estranged Aerrow to fend for his self.

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It was fate. It had to be.

Here, in his own private quarters was the object of his desires. The only thing he'd wanted for over three years, ever since he had laid eyes on the red haired boy. He wasn't a boy anymore, no, he was turning out to be a rather beautiful young man. He might have his father's eyes and hair, but his face and body were softer, more lithe, from his mother. It made him no less of a fighter, just faster and a lot more flexible.

Dark Ace was compelled to keep him here forever, a slave, to be used whenever and wherever he so deemed it. What fun it would be when the young man wakes, bound to his bed and completely at his mercy. Master Cyclonis questioned why he would rather keep him here then in a cell. It was simple. He didn't want anyone touching his new toy, and no one would dare to enter his quarters without permission. Secondly, as much as he wanted to make Aerrow suffer for everything he had put him through; he didn't want all that pretty skin to get dirty. Master Cyclonis didn't care as long as it made him happy, and it made the capture of the rest of the Storm Hawks that much easier.

It was fate. There was a bright white light, and a body falling from the sky. Into his arms no less! Dumbfounded to find it was Aerrow of all people. The one person he would want it to be, the 'only' person he'd want it to be.

The teen had held a strange glow for all of ten seconds. Unable to decipher what it could be, he would have to watch him closely. However his prize had yet to wake up. The resident doctor told him all of the boys vitals looked good. He was just recovering from severe exhaustion, and malnutrition. It wasn't hard to tell if the circles under his eyes, and the pallor of his skin had anything to say about it.

Was the leader of the Storm Hawks slipping? Was he finally beginning to realize just how much of burden he was carrying, fighting against Cyclonia with his small crew these past few years? Dark Ace could see it every time they fought, how his stance was off, his movements slow and sloppier then normal. He wouldn't have that, no, Aerrow would not fall. He would make sure of that.

Brushing soft red hair from the boys face, Dark Ace could only wait for those bright emerald eyes to open and one day been seen with more than just hatred. Oh, his day will come.

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Chapter one end. ;)


	2. Forfeit Part I

**Disclaimer: I do not own or make money or profit of any kind off the writing of this story.**

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**Furtive Cloy **

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_**Chapter 2**_

Piper couldn't sleep. She was nursing a cup of bitter hot coffee, compliments of Aerrow's coffee machine. The crystal expert started the habit after her friend disappeared.

The red in her eyes was the only indication that she had been crying. All traces of salty tears were wiped away a half-hour ago. 'Better that way anyway,' she thought. The rest of the crew was having a hard enough time dealing with the situation as it was. It had been almost two weeks since the redheaded leader had gone out alone looking for the infamous helix crystal. 'Never to return.'

Piper shook her head vigorously. She had to stop. They were never going to find Aerrow this way, sulking around like a bunch of lost puppies. Piper wasn't really sulking, not in front of her teammates anyway.

Finn had surprised her. She'd never seen him so angry. After they had escaped the Cyclonian cruiser he argued with Stork constantly, trying to get him to turn back. Then Finn called Stork a coward.

In the end it was the even headed Wallop who pulled Finn off of Stork, before there was any real damage. They locked the furious teen in his room. Junko was the only one who had the courage to enter it and talk to him. The other three held their breath and waited for the screaming and curses to start, but it never did. Somehow, he talked Finn into coming out and apologizing to the green-haired Merb. There was a glint of rage in his blue eyes, but his 'sorry' was more or less sincere. What really confused Piper was the heartfelt apology he gave her after he said his apology to Stork. Finn sulked off to his room, not to appear for quite a few hours. The sharpshooter had been acting out of sorts for the last couple of months. He was quick to anger one moment, and the next, solemn as ever. It was disturbing, but she had Aerrow to think about.

She, Junko, Stork, and Radar, who refused to put down Aerrow's pillow, diligently discussed what to do next. They knew it was too dangerous to go back into the same area where they lost Aerrow. By now it was almost certainly heavily guarded for their return, and as much as they hated to admit it, the Cyclonians weren't stupid. Good and evil had been fighting for so long that even the smallest mistake could spell disaster. They settled on gaining information. Aerrow might have gotten away for all they knew. Hiding out on some nearby terra, or even the wastelands. Piper had cringed at that. Aerrow might be a tactical genius and expert survivalist, but no one lasted long on the dangerous Wasteland terrain.

Emptying the remainder of her coffee, Piper walked out onto the bridge. As expected, Stork was cautiously driving the Condor; he looked as if he hadn't slept much either.

"Any sign of Cyclonian's on the radar?"

"No, no yet anyway," Stork indicated to the scanner, free of any enemies. "I think we'll be okay for now." She smiled slightly at the Merb, and thought she saw a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"Look Piper, about Aerrow. I'm sor-," she cut him off with a gentle hand on his thin shoulder.

"It's alright Stork. If you didn't do what you did, we'd be rotting in a Cyclonian prison by now."

"Yeah," he gulped. "Thanks." No more was said on the subject, much to Pipers relief.

"How far until we get to Terra Atmosia?"

"About three hours, if the skies remain clear."

"Alright then. I think I'll go let Junko and Radaar know." Piper turned and was ready to walk away but thought against it. She embraced the weary Merb from behind, lightly brushing against him, and resting her arms on his shoulders. Piper could feel the tension pour out of the green mans body. "Thank you Stork."

He gently placed his left hand on her forearm.

"No Piper. Thank You."

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Finn was lying on his bed, arms behind his head, eyes staring up at the rusting bedroom ceiling. He overreacted. He knew he had, but it didn't take away the anger he felt.

The blonde was ready to get on his Air Skimmer III and save Aerrow himself. He would have to, if Junko hadn't talked some sense into him. So he sucked up his pride and apologized to Stork, half-heartedly. It was good enough he mused to himself. Stork had been on his case for quite some time. Telling him time and time again that he was reckless, and careless when it came to Aerrows safety. Sure, he had goofed off quite a few times when 'maybe' it wasn't totally appropriate. And 'maybe' Aerrow had saved him a couple of times from a few bad mistakes, but careless when it came to his friends safety? He didn't think so. Besides, if Stork wasn't such a wuss, they wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. 'That's what I like to tell myself at least, ugh.' A feeling of nausea filled his stomach.

Taking a deep breath, Finn flipped over onto his side, deciding to stare at the door instead of the ceiling. It was unsatisfying, so he imagined a certain purple-haired woman. With brilliant persimmon eyes, soft curves, and a shimmering smile. She was leaning against the door, a look on her face that said, 'oh Finn, what am I going to do with you.'

'Well I can think of a few things-,' he stopped himself from going further. Now wasn't the time, he had to find a way to save Aerrow. Rubbing the weariness out of his eyes, Finn let out a sigh far older then himself.

"Aerrow…" He quietly whispered to himself.

He admitted to himself a long time ago that he had feelings for Piper, but recently Aerrow was on his mind as well.

With Piper it was easier. He loved her, and was sure he always had. He just didn't know it at the time. She was always yelling at him. Rolling her eyes at his perverse antics, hiding his music. He hadn't thought about it when he was younger, he was so naïve then. Chasing after beautiful girls when there was the kindest, most beautiful girl of them all sleeping not a Condors length away from him. Finn also knew that she had feelings for Aerrow, it wasn't hard to tell. Although he wasn't sure if Junko or Stork knew, they never talked about it.

He once brought it up to Aerrow, surreptitiously. The green-eyed teen laughed, placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a strange smile. "I know Finn, but that doesn't mean 'you' should give up on her." He said in such a serious and lighthearted tone that Finn almost cried out in happiness. Aerrow was sometimes scary smart. He knew things he shouldn't; secrets held deep in your heart. With Pipers brilliant deduction skills, that was saying a lot. So taking his fearless leaders advice, he began to slowly build a relationship with Piper. Not the one he wanted exactly, but one where he showed her he wasn't all about babes, surfing, and rock & roll. Things between the two were definitely much better then it had been.

Then there was Aerrow. It was almost five months ago when he started lusting after his friend. He had never felt that way about a man before, and if he were fifteen again he would've been disgusted to say the least. Growing up had taught him a lot. So here he was, eighteen years old and starting to see Aerrow in a way he'd never seen him before.

Aerrow was beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, to say the least. Shorter by himself by at least two inches, Aerrow was all sleek muscle and graceful movements. Bright crimson hair and emerald eyes were certainly unique. Finn found himself watching him from the corner of his eye more then once.

At first he thought maybe he way gay, he certainly still found woman very appealing. Bi then. It was strange, no matter how many men he looked at, he never found any as alluring as Aerrow.

He'd never seen Aerrow naked, he certainly had the chance, but he tried not to think about that. He and Junko compared 'sizes' often enough, even took showers together in community bathrooms, but Aerrow was a different story. The closest anyone 'ever' got to see Aerrow naked was at the beach, or the time he escaped Terra Zartacla. 'Or that time…Ugh, stop it Finn!'

Modest wasn't even the beginning. Throughout their entire time together Aerrow never talked about sex, or women, or men for that matter. Sure, they had joked a couple times about the dates Finn had been on, but Aerrow would only smile and laugh. Finn came to the conclusion that Aerrow had never had sex, or dated. It was hard to believe that such an attractive guy had never done any of those things, especially at seventeen. But Aerrow was Aerrow. Interested only in freeing Atmosia and fighting the Dark Ace.

He recalled Aerrows last fight with the rotten scum. It was worrying to say the least. The team was helping Blister and his Third Degree Burners take out some Cyclonians who were forcing locals to dig up crystals. Needless to say, Dark Ace showed up with Snipe and Ravess. Junko took out Snipe, and Finn, Ravess. Aerrow was left alone to settle the score once again with his archenemy. Finn remembered that day well, and witnessed something he wished he hadn't.

(FlashBack)

It was dry, and hot. Finn was sticky and covered in dust, sand, bruises, and blood. Ravess snuck in a lucky shoot that knocked him off his skimmer. He was about thirty feet from the ground and knew his parachute wouldn't do him any good, so he maneuvered himself into a roll so he wouldn't take as much damage. Nothing was broken, but his whole body ached something fierce.

He heard the sharp shrill of Ravess's laughter, and knew what was coming next. Diving out of the way he narrowly escaped one her energy arrows. She quickly made a U-turn on her skimmer and flew towards the weaponless blond again. Finn gnashed his teeth together in anger. Grabbing a jagged stone and hurling it with only the accuracy a sniper would have. It hit its target, right between the eyes. Ravess's howl of rage rang out as she lost control of her skimmer and crashed onto the rocky ground.

She had lived.

"Damn you Sky Knight! You can bet that I'll be back to finish you off later!" Dragging her just-as-bruised body from the ground, and nursing what was probably a broken collarbone, Ravess was picked up by one of her violin players not a moment later.

"She'd be a lot more attractive if she wasn't such a bitch," Finn thought to himself with a smile. He was broken out of his thoughts by Junko who was rushing over to him on his Air Skimmer III EL. Finn had always liked that bike, and been reprimanded a couple of times by the crew when he took it out for 'test' drives.

"Hey buddy you ok?" Grabbing the hand that was offered to him, Finn stood up. He was going to be sore tomorrow.

"Of course, you don't think some violin playing bitch is going to bring down the great Finn! Chicka cha!" Some habits were hard to break.

"Now Finn, you know I don't like it when you say things like that." Junko frowned at him, crossing his arms, still the same old Wallop.

"Yeah, yeah I know. So should we head back to see if Stork and Piper are alright?"

"Actually, I haven't seen Aerrow either. Do you think we should look for him first?" Come to think of it, Finn hadn't seen their leader for quite a while either.

"Why don't you check on Stork and Piper, I'll go look for Aerrow and signal the Condor when I do."

"What about your skimmer? Is it flyable?" Finn walked over to his crashed skimmer and picked it up. A few pieces were missing, but they were unimportant. It wouldn't fly, but he could sure as heck drive it.

"It's a little rough, it'll be fine." Starting up the engine, everything looked good to go. "It won't fly, but I don't really need it to."

"Alright, just be careful Finn," and with a wave the wallop was flying off in the opposite direction. Revving the engine Finn was off just as quickly, searching the land and skies for Aerrow.

It was about two miles from where he fought Ravess. An area just as barren, rocky, and hot. He found the two warriors skimmers before he found the actual persons. Lying on the ground in two heaps of burning metal. He'd lost count on how many times Aerrow had rebuilt his skimmer, or his own for that matter.

Driving past what was left of Aerrow's skimmer, Finn rounded a high cliff to find what he'd been searching for. On the ground was Aerrow, just as dirty and breathing as though he had run a marathon. He was kneeling, right hand on the rocky surface and left cradling his ribs. Finn was about to rush to his friends aid when he stopped cold. There. On Aerrow's face was the most worrisome expression he'd ever seen on the red head. It was, to say the least, heartbreaking. Once vibrant emerald eyes were now dull, filled with something Finn didn't care to describe. Those eyes. They were looking directly at Dark Ace, never wavering. Not once. Mouth open in a silent plea. Finn knew that if he screamed out Aerrows name, he wouldn't hear him.

He noticed, much to his dismay, that Dark Ace was far better for wear. What the hell happened?

Dark Ace was terrifying. His crimson eyes looked down at Aerrow with such sick perversion that Finn wanted to tear Dark Ace's throat out. He would've too, if not for Dark Ace murdering him first. So he waited, uncomfortable, and a little more then scared.

"I hate you." It was Aerrow who spoke first, his voice rough, painful, like he'd been screaming for hours. If Finn was worried before, he was more so now. Dark Ace sneered.

"Don't be a fool Aerrow. You don't hate me. Why, if it wasn't for me you would've killed yourself by now, isn't that right?"

"Not true," Aerrow whispered. "Not true."

"Oh but it is Sky Knight. Without me, you'd have no purpose, no reason to go on living."

"You lie." Dark Ace smiled, a smile that was used for reprimanding puppies, not enemies.

"Then tell me Aerrow. What would you do if Cyclonia fell, if there were no more threats in Atmos? No more enemies? No more me? Would you live the rest of your life in quiet comfort? No more fighting? No more struggle? What would you do Aerrow? What 'could' you do?" Dark Ace's voice was beginning to hold a sharp edge. The way he used Aerrow's name was unnerving to Finn. It was too familiar, too personal. He didn't like it one bit.

Aerrow faltered. He didn't know what to say. Finn could see the struggle on his face. He wanted to go over there and shake him, shake the beautiful broken teen until he got a hold of himself. What was wrong with Aerrow? Where was all that courage and pride? Why the hell wasn't he defending himself? Why wasn't he defending anything? He would be happy dammit! The world would finally be free of the Cyclonian scum.

Aerrow remained quiet. Instead choosing to focus his eyes on the blood stained rock below him. Blue eyes stared in disbelief. No way. No fucking way! Finn revved up his engine. Screw Dark Ace! He was going to punch him in the gut, and give Aerrow a good smack to wake him up.

Before Finn could get to the two Aerrow fainted, dead to the world, and at his worst enemies feet no less. 'Oh crap, oh crap!' He noticed Dark Ace turn to look directly at him. Finn threw him a nasty glare. That prick knew he was here the entire time.

"Don't touch him you freak!" The man simply rolled his eyes at the blonde who sped over to the two, furious.

Dark Ace wasn't dumb enough to take on the blonde idiot right now. Not when he didn't have a skimmer and the rest of the Storm Hawks were close behind. Growling the Talon leader shot the blonde teen on last scathing look and took off, away from the Storm Hawks.

Rushing to his friends' aide, Finn checked for a pulse. It was there, not as strong as he wanted it to be, but good enough for him. The way Aerrow was holding his ribs before he guessed one if not more were broken. Finn was stressed to say the least. Frightened and tired. He would worry about what he saw later; right now he needed to save his friend.

They never talked about the incident when they got back to the Condor; Aerrow didn't even know he had heard. Finn gave the rest of the crew some story about how Aerrow awesomely fought of the Dark Ace before he passed out on Finns bike from injuries. To say the least, Aerrow was grateful.

Everyone was concerned however; on how Aerrow got hurt so badly. He certainly got roughed up enough, but their leader never passed out before. The red head just gave a careless laugh and scratched his head, looking ashamed. No one was entirely convinced, but they left it alone.

Aerrow was never the same after that. Everyone noticed the change in him. He always looked exhausted, rarely came to dinner, and spent hours locked in his room doing who knows what.

It was Piper who confronted him first. She found Aerrow in the kitchen drinking coffee, refusing to sleep. She was scared, that much was sure.

"He was crying Finn, crying! When have you ever seen Aerrow cry? He said he kept seeing 'him.' Atmos I'm worried Finn, I don't know what to do."

Finn was worried too. He knew who Aerrow was seeing, knew damn well who it was. He wanted to go to Cyclonia and shoot an arrow through his wretched black heart. The sharpshooter couldn't tell Piper what happened that day. She'd break; she still loved Aerrow so much, and he loved her. So he promised her he'd talk to him. Grateful, she hugged him and gave one of her wonderful smiles. He'd never felt so content.

(End of Chapter Two Part I)


	3. Forfeit Part II

**Disclaimer: I do not own or make profit off the writing of this story.**

NOTE: This chapter is going to contain extreme OOC Finn! You will get a glimpse into why he acts the way he does. So please, don't be angry at me when you read it, it will all come together, I promise. I also recommend that you go back and reread chapters one and two, as I have edited them. There's not a huge difference, I just made it fit the story line a bit better. And please don't hate me for Stork; he's got problems too. I also want to change the title of this story, so if anyone has any suggestions I'm all for it. (I will be updating more frequently now that I have the plot bunnies and life off my back, for now.)

WARNINGS: Swearing! (Finn has a bit of a filthy mouth) Some Non-consensual acts (not graphic) Angst. No BETA.

A BIG THANK YOU goes out to all of those who have reviewed so far. You have the patience of otherworldly beings that you do! Thank You so much!

This chapter is dedicated to Quibblez and A Purple Avocado, for reviewing all chapters thus far! And Concinnity, because she likes FinnxAerrow! Thanks you guys! 

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**Furtive Cloy **

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'I have stood here before inside the pouring rain

With the world turning circles running 'round my brain

I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign

But it's my destiny to be the king of pain'

The Police~ 'King of Pain'

**CHAPTER 3**

Aerrow hadn't slept in his bed for almost three weeks; instead choose to lie awake on the Condors deck, hands linked behind his head. He would look up at the inky black sky filled with stars and not move for hours. It was Stork who had it the worst. While Aerrow would watch the sky, the ever-attentive pilot, would watch Aerrow. Only taking his eyes off his young captain to quickly glimpse at the monitors.

It was a rather pleasantly serene night the Merb noted to himself as he glanced out the window. This time, when Aerrow made his nightly visit, he hoped to see his young captain asleep. Merbs themselves could get away with very little sleep so they could keep a watch out for the ever elusive, crawling, flesh-eating bacteria, but humans? Stork knew humans needed, at the very least six to eight hours of sleep every night to function properly. How long had it been for Aerrow, three, maybe four days without any genuine sleep? Though his unrest had been going on for weeks, Aerrow somehow managed to obtain at least a couple of hours of sleep a night. Stork would be the one to watch out for him while he dozed off on the deck of the ship, bringing him a blanket or a cup of that horrid coffee he'd taken a liking to.

At first Stork thought Aerrow's room was too warm and their red headed friend slept outside to cool off. After a week of constant nightly visits on the deck, Stork knew something was wrong. The Merb knew Aerrow could see him, and knew that he would watch him every night before he decided it was safe to put the autopilot on.

It was difficult for Stork. When one of the crew would ask why Aerrow was up so early, or why their leader was out on the deck before the sun began to rise Aerrow's green eyes would bore into his black ones, pleading. The Merb would be stuck in-between a rock and a hard place. Desiring so very desperately, to tell Piper that Aerrow needed help, but knew he wasn't ready to tell anyone what was bothering him so.

So he kept his mouth shut, while continuing to watch his friend from the bridge. It had been two weeks since Aerrow came to the deck, sleeping sparsely, now he didn't sleep at all, didn't even close his eyes. After the last fight against the Cyclonians, and the frighteningly serious injuries Aerrow obtained, it only became worse. Stork concluded that Aerrow didn't want to sleep, or couldn't. He had a feeling it was the latter, but he was tired of watching his friend waste away like that. Tired of watching him vacillate during missions and sit out on activities. Aerrow loved Terra Neon, loved roller coasters and bumper skimmers. Now he just watched, and smiled, half-heartedly.

Tonight he was going to change all that. He was going to march right up to the teenager and have a 'chat' with him. Stork was ready to tell Aerrow how Piper would cry when she thought no one was looking. Or how Finn had a few extra fist-size holes in his bedroom wall. Junko was too busy taking care of Finn's bizarre mood swings to get a chance to really look at Aerrow. It was just as well; the sharpshooter was enough of a handful. Without Junko, Stork feared for the blondes' sanity. Radarr frantically tried to signal to the others, Piper especially, that something was wrong with his best pal. The small blue rodent became rather subdued not long after Aerrow started getting really bad. That worried Stork. Radarr was one whom Aerrow could always count on. Now he looked at the teen captain with sadness and shadows of fear.

Stork looked out the large window of the bridge and spotted a limping, and still healing Aerrow wearily make his way to the center of the deck. Slowly, cautiously, the green-eyed teen sat down, mindful of his healing ribs and bruises. Thankfully Piper had a Healing Crystal on her or Aerrow would still be in bed with broken bones. Stork sighed; he should 'still' be in bed.

The Condor was quiet and everyone should be fast asleep, or so he hoped. Checking the radars and sensors for any danger Stork decided it was safe enough to leave the Condor on autopilot while he went to talk with Aerrow. He took only a handful of steps before his usual paranoia crept up on him. Black eyes closed tightly, 'I need to be strong. I need to be strong.' Step after step, after step, he made it to the back of the bridge.

The walk to the outside deck was long and agonizing. Several times the Merb tripped over his own feet. When he found his way to the door leading to the outside he stopped, hand frozen on the smooth metallic doorknob. Mind frozen, stomach dropped.

"I can't do this. I can't do this. What if he gets angry? What if he doesn't want to listen to me? I'm no good at talking to people about their problems. I have enough problems as it is! Why doesn't Aerrow come to me and ask ME if everything's alright?" Stork felt the beginnings of hyperventilation, and slammed a fist into the rusty old door.

"Stupid, selfish, stupid, selfish, selfish!" How was Aerrow going to listen to him if the foolish boy wouldn't listen to anyone? Willing himself to calm down, Stork leaned his back against the cool door and closed his tired eyes. Anxiety and fear washed over him in waves. He loved Aerrow, he was his leader and friend. He'd saved the Merbs life on more than one occasion and never asked for anything in return. 'But so have I. I've saved this entire crew time and time again, what did I ever get in return?'

Stork wanted to vomit. Of all the times to feel pity for himself he chose now. 'Forgive me Aerrow,' a single tear slid down the cold green cheek of the Merb.

"I can't do this."

"Can't do what, Stork?" Black eyes opened abruptly to a shock of blonde hair and unforgiving blue eyes that stared mercilessly at him. Finn's voice held very little emotion, and Stork flinched violently when the sharpshooter took a step toward him.

"I know Aerrow is out there, I saw him from the bridge. What are you doing here Stork? Aren't you going to talk to Aerrow? Or are you going to run away, like you always do?" Blue and black bore into each other. Stork knew he shouldn't take this from Finn; who not only put Aerrow in danger time and time again, but his entire team. 'But I can't…' He turned his eyes away from Finn's livid ones and stepped away from the door.

Finn clenched his fist in fury. He wanted to pound the green coward into the wall, but he had more important things to do. It was a handful of steps until he was side-by-side the pilot. Finn didn't look at him.

"You're a coward Stork. A fucking coward." A quick turn of the handle and Finn walked outside, to do what Stork could not. A cool breeze rushed the green pilot who then let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. It was going to be a long walk back to the bridge and he had a great sinking feeling in his stomach. 'I'm not a coward, you're wrong Finn. I'm not. I just don't know what to do anymore.'

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The anger Finn felt slowly melted as he spotted the red head, deeply entwined in his own thoughts. Aerrow was dressed for bed in his striped blue and white pajamas, probably forced on him by Piper. The night air was fairly mild, and Finn was sure that his friend would be safe from getting a cold tonight. 'One less thing to worry about,' Finn thought.

Aerrow was spread eagle on the deck of the ship, taking shallow breaths due to the injured ribs, and frowning ever so slightly.

"I know you're there Finn, no one could mistake your footsteps, you make enough noise to put an army of Snipes to shame." The sharpshooter wrinkled his nose.

"Do not," a soft, painful chuckle.

"Yes you do, you just never take any notice."

"That's because I only notice important things, like-,"

"How your favorite little food joint started using processed cheese instead of real melted cheddar on your chili cheese dog?" For some reason Finn felt truly insulted, 'if it wasn't Aerrow, they would so have a broken nose.'

"Actually Aerrow, I do notice important things. Or I wouldn't be out here now." It was meant to come out as snide as it had, and it had certainly gotten his leaders attention. Aerrow rolled painfully and far too quickly, his upper torso turned toward his blonde companion, green eyes blazed. Finn almost took a step back from the sheer hostility in those eerily haunted eyes.

"You have no reason to be here Finn. Leave. Me. Alone," the last three words were punctuated and forced out in a croaky growl. Finn would have none of that, he felt the heat in his cheeks and made fists so hard his fingernails were sure to draw blood. The red head saw the rage on Finn's face; he forced his tired body into a standing position, gasping slightly in pain. Regrettably he was too slow, but the blow he'd been expecting never came. Instead, warm hands gripped his wrists tightly.

"What the hell is your problem Aerrow?" The older Storm Hawk's face was getting a little too close to Aerrows to be comfortable. He swore he could feel the anger emanating from the taller teen, and tried unsuccessfully to break free. Finn's grip was scarily tight, his wrists were protesting madly under the pressure.

"What gives you the right?" Finn started, shaking. In rage, confusion, or fear, Aerrow couldn't tell. "What gives you the right to act as though nothings wrong? Do you even know what you're doing to this crew? Do you?" The blondes voice escalated, and his captor turned to stare blankly into dark abyss of the night sky.

"What do you want Finn?" Defeated, Finn thought. That's how his friend sounded; it did nothing to ease his furious state.

"I want you to tell me what's wrong! I want you to tell me why you have been acting like a 'bitch' for weeks now! Why Radarr is afraid of you, why Stork looks at you like he's never seen you before. Why Piper…why Piper cries all the time." Finn's facial features softened in the slightest when he mentioned Piper. Emerald eyes turned swiftly to meet sapphire.

"It's none of her business, or yours! Stop being so damn nosey and let me do what I want!" Aerrow felt like he was going to vomit. His ribs stung ferociously, and his head pounded. The two hours of sleep he'd gotten in the last four days began to take a major strain on his body. Finns now crushing grip on his wrists did nothing to alleviate any of his pain. Both gazes held each other. There was strangeness in the sharpshooter's eyes, a kind of strangeness that Aerrow couldn't place. Haunted, eerie, and crazed. When Finn spoke, the timbre of his voice turned husky, his breaths deep. Blue eyes looked straight through his leaders. Abruptly aware of the position they were in. Aerrow realized just how close Finn's body was to his own.

"You have no idea how much I want you Aerrow." The red haired teen's heart stopped. He swore it did.

"What?"

"I'm so angry Aerrow, so angry," Finns breathing was labored and shaky. Aerrow panicked further.

"Wait. Wait Finn. You don't know what you're talking about; you need to calm down buddy. Calm-," Aerrow didn't know exactly what happened next, but he remembered pain flaring from his ribs, and his breath being knocked out of him. He tried to scream out in agony, but it only came out as a chocked cry. There was a warm body on top of him and he was lying on his back on the cold floor of the deck. His mind registered Finn's voice screaming at him, but it took a good fifteen seconds before he could make out any words, "-a fucking tease!" 'What?!"

"Finn-" a sharp cough. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I saw you that day with the Dark Ace when we were helping Blister." Green eyes widened. "That's right Aerrow. I saw you give into that monster, how you gave up!"

"Finn you don't understand-,"

"How long have you been letting him fuck you?"

"What! Wait-,"

"Don't lie to me Aerrow! I saw how he looked at you, I saw it dammit!" The blonde pressed himself tighter to his leader, hands gripping bruised wrists to the side of the shorter teens head.

"Oh Finn..."

"I don't get it, why him? Why not me? Couldn't you just…come to me?" Finn couldn't comprehend it. All along he tried to keep it in the back of his mind, tried to keep this impossibility as far away from his thoughts as possible. In his mind however, it all seemed to make sense. Aerrows' recent standoffish attitude, the lack of food, sleep, smiles, and fun; it all seemed to add up to that day. A good long look into those emerald eyes and he couldn't keep it in anymore. Long, salty tear tracks stained the older teens cheeks, and he smiled.

"I'm going to wash you of him Aerrow. I can't stand seeing you tainted by filth like that, I wont have it." Panic enveloped Aerrow's body, and he could only stare in shock at his best friend as his wrists were gripped tightly in one of the blonde's hands and placed over his head. Chest heaving, the red head knew in his current condition he was no match for the taller and slightly broader boy.

"No Finn! You have to stop, you're-," a slap. Not hard enough to leave a bruise, but still stung.

"Shut up. This is for your own good. You need to get that scum's scent off of you, and I won't be as rough as he is, I promise." There was sincerity in Finn's voice; it did nothing to calm Aerrow's nerves. 'Oh Finn, if only I'd seen this sooner. If only I'd realized. This is my fault…' A pair of lips descended onto his. Rough lips that definitely belonged to a man pushed into his, and for a second Aerrow had no idea what to do. So he did the only thing he knew how to do in this kind of situation, nothing. Finn's eyes were closed lightly and the leader of the Storm Hawks noted how Finns eyelashes we almost pitch black, a huge contrast from his bright blonde hair.

A cold hand on his neck surprised Aerrow out of his reverie, brushing lightly against his collarbone before finding the buttons on his pajama top. To the red head it all seemed so surreal, and frightening. Especially when the other's arousal was so obvious. 'Oh Atmos, oh Atmos, oh Atmos…' A warm slick tongue probed his mouth for entrance, and he dubiously gave in. Buttons were undone, and a cool hand began to explore a bit more intimately. Aerrow froze. Something wasn't right. This was Finn, his good friend, and his teammate. He might be irresponsible, and juvenile at the most inappropriate of times, but he wasn't a rapist! The blonde was a kind, warm-hearted guy. He loved Piper, and he deserved her love.

Gathering as much strength as he could while the other was distracted, Aerrow ripped his hands from Finn's grip and landed a hard blow to the side of the blondes' head. Finn let out a sharp cry as Aerrow proceeded to push away from his friend, successfully climbing out from under the teen and pushing off his feet as fast as he could. Ribs protested madly, but Aerrow ignored it in favor of running to the nearest door to get inside the Condor. Behind him he heard a scream of rage and the loud footfall of his attacker. Aerrow pushed himself to move faster. A sharp pull on his pajama top sent him sprawling to the hard deck. He only had a split second until he felt the weight of the larger body was once again on top of his own. A hand mercilessly fisted in hair, and pulled his head up to meet unnatural thin rings of deep blue and wide black pupils.

"F…Finn. What's wrong with you? Please-," A sharp yank.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me?!" Finn's voice took on a psychotic edge. "I'm trying to help you ungrateful whore! Why don't you understand?" Aerrow couldn't stop body from shaking.

"Well…I'll just have to teach you the hard way I guess." Finn didn't sound very disappointed; Aerrow closed his eyes and prepared himself for the impending assault.

Suddenly the grip on his hair disappeared, and the body gone. Aerrow opened his eyes to see a livid Finn being held back by a barely struggling Junko.

"Let me go you asshole! He belongs to me! He's mine! No one's going to take him away from me. Aerrow-!" He wasn't sure what Junko did, but Finn was out, and deep asleep. Junko laid his best friend gently on the deck before he cautiously paced over to the traumatized Aerrow, who was sure he looked a wreck. The striped nightshirt was undone, his hair in disarray, and multiple bruises covered his body. The Wallop looked so lost as he stared at his broken leader, tears in his eyes. He reached down to help the red head up but stopped when the teen violently flinched away.

"Aerrow I'm so sorry. I should have been watching Finn more closely. I didn't mean for this to happen, I had no idea he would even go this far. I've been a terrible friend. I'm so sorry." The large, but kind Wallop hung his head in shame. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Aerrow took in a deep breath and tightened the torn nightshirt around his malnourished frame. The silence that hung around the pair was stressful and awkward. Weary green eyes took in the Wallop standing before him, and quickly glanced to the unconscious Finn on the deck floor. Aerrow's frightened expression vacillated.

"It's okay Junko, I don't blame you. But I am worried about Finn, Is he going to be okay?" Junko's face brightened only slightly.

"Oh yeah, I just put my Super Awesome Wallop Sleeper move on him, he'll wake up in a couple of hours." Aerrow was relieved. Although he knew the Wallop could never hurt his own best friend, it would have killed him to know that Junko had hurt Finn on his behalf.

"Are you okay? Can you get up?" The ache in his ribs had worsened from that last attack, but Aerrow braced himself to stand anyway. Halfway up his knees buckled and the red head went sprawling towards the deck in pain. Junko noticed this and rushed forward to catch his leader.

"Okay, maybe not so good," black eyes scrunched in amusement.

"Thanks Junko. Just give me a moment and I'll be up and running in no time." In a rush the larger teen picked up his fallen leader, arms gently positioned under his shoulders and legs.

"Nope, I don't think so. It's about time someone else played the hero."

"What about Finn? You can't just leave him out here!" Junko rolled his eyes.

"C'mon Aerrow, I think Finn will be just fine for five minutes. Now lets get you back to bed," Junko's tone, as soft as it sounded, held no room for argument. With a final look to the peacefully sleeping Finn, Aerrow closed his eyes and tried to relax in the Strongman's care.

"Hey Junko? You don't think you could give me one of your Super Awesome Wallop Sleeper holds too?" Junko let out a hearty laugh. Aerrow sighed, he hadn't been joking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Junko wasted no time in tucking his hurt leader into bed with newly wrapped ribs and an ice pack. He tried his best to console Aerrow, but his leader just smiled at him.

"_Forget about it Junko, the less we talk about it, the easier it will be. So let's just pretend it didn't happen, okay?" _

How could Junko say no to Aerrow, whose eyes were so sad and full of despair. Lately he'd been looking out for Finn. His best friend was important too, and the problems he'd been carrying seemed more prevalent then Aerrows'. Or, he thought they were. Junko closed the door to Aerrow's room and let out a long sigh. 'Oh well, might as well check on Stork too.'

A quick check of the bridge showed the autopilot to be on, but the helmsman was nowhere to be found. 'Huh, that's strange. Maybe Stork finally decided to get some sleep.' The Merb had been acting strange as well; the bags under his eyes grew darker everyday.

Junko made his way back to the deck. Finn was just as he left him, deep asleep. He should have never taken his eyes off his best friend, should have known something like this could happen. There was something more to it, and Junko had an idea of what it was. His best friends' obsession with their leader was something Finn would frequently discuss with him. 'Puppy love' was what Junko told Finn, and pointed out that it was merely sexual, as weird as that was to say. Tonight however, Junko learned that it went far deeper then simple sex.

The door leading to Finn's room was wide open, and the light still on. Large Wallop arms placed his best friend on the bed, and covered him with a blanket. 'Now where is it?' Junko walked around the room, picking up papers, and rummaging through the rest of his friends items. 'It has to be around here somewhere.'

Junko had searched all corners of Finn's room for the elusive item. 'If I had to hide something, where would I hide?' Junko pondered, and after the moment of contemplation he took a long hard look at the sleeping Finn. 'Ah ha!'

The pillow under Finn's sleeping head was gently lifted out, and large hands slid off the clean white pillowcase. 'Bingo!' There was an undone seam, not two inches in length, a perfect hiding place. Thread was pulled apart so Junko could fit his hand inside the soft cotton stuffing. After a moment of digging, his hand bumped into something hard. A small silver container was retrieved. Junko's eyes saddened, 'oh Finn, what am I going to do with you?'

Inside the container were at least twenty small white pills, made from a very illegal crystal. How Finn got a hold of such things Junko didn't want to know. He did know however, that it was not going to happen again. Gripping the pill canister tightly, he made his way back to the deck of the ship.

The air was cooler he noted, and did nothing to faze the brawny Wallop. Standing over to the edge of the deck he pulled open the container and proceeded to crush the pills in his hand. White dusty particles swirled in the wind for but a moment, before they vanished completely.

Junko was going to give it a few days before he brought this up to Aerrow, and hopefully the rest of the crew. He could not watch his best friend do this to himself, nor could he stand by idly and witness the leader of the Storm Hawks drown. After he made up his mind, Junko trekked back up to Finn's room, intent on being there when he woke up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day Aerrow disappeared.

END CHAPTER 3

So Finn's got himself a bit of a drug problem. I know I've only touch upon it a bit, but it will come up and be explained in later chapters.

Next Chapter: Dark Ace and Aerrow! The shocking truth behind Aerrow's mysterious disappearance into Cyclonia, I have a feeling you're going to be surprised.


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